Pool is cool on warm summer day

Kristine PhilipsPublished: August 17, 2006 12:00AM

By KRISTINE PHILIPS
T-G Staff Writer
Relief from the heat for Cinnamon Lake residents doesnt necessarily mean air conditioning. It can mean a trip to the communitys pool.
Dozens of children, teenagers and adults came to the pool at Cinnamon Lake lodge Wednesday afternoon to escape the heat and fit some recreation into their day. Situated next to the lake itself, the pool is surrounded by the recreation lodge, tennis and basketball courts, a playground and a pavilion. Its just one of the ways some families spend their afternoons during the summer, according to pool manager Dave Bell. Residents of the community can use the pool for free, and guests of residents can use the pool for a small fee.
Three lifeguards sit on duty around the pool, minding its approximately 40 occupants. Head lifeguard Jennifer Larkin said the pool usually is crowded in the early afternoon. Residents begin arriving about 12:30 p.m. and leave about 4 p.m.
Cinnamon Lake resident Barb Wright is one of those residents. Although her own children are grown up, she baby-sits four children, who she brings to the pool daily. Wednesday she had two children with her, 4-year-old Reagan Gross and 2-year-old Hillary Gross. Their friend Misty Perry sits with them while her two children, 5-year-old McKenna and 4-year-old Mara, splash in the pool.
Shes showing you how to swim, said Misty to McKenna, as Reagan begins to kick in the pool. Let her show you how.
Hillary is next to them splashing away. The yellow life preserver floating next to her seems to be forgotten.
All my kids know how to swim by age two, said Wright. I think its really important they know how to swim living in Cinnamon Lake. My own children could swim before they could walk.
Other children try to creep into the shallow end of the pool, while the older kids and teens jump into the deep end. A rope separates the two ends, with the students who have passed a swimming test on the deep end. Wright said kids have to swim two lengths of the pool and tread water for a minute to pass the test. Some of the kids on both sides are tan, while others are white.
You can always tell the kids who come here a lot, said Wright. They're a lot tanner.
n Kristine Philips is the summer reporting intern and can be reached at 419-281-0581, ext. 241, or kphilips@times-gazette.com.